Person puts box of personal belongings on desk and hands boss resignation letter.

States where the most workers are quitting their jobs

Written by:
November 21, 2023
Canva

States where the most workers are quitting their jobs

Low pay, minimal opportunities for growth, and disrespectful work environments—these are just a handful of the top reasons why employees quit their jobs, according to a 2021 Pew Research Center survey. Of course, there are myriad reasons workers might put in their notices, ranging from the mundane, like moving to a new state, to the dramatic, like having blow-up arguments with a supervisor.

Quits are down from the recent span of historically high rates during the Great Resignation. In September 2023, the national quit rate was 2.3%, or about 3.7 million people, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Over the past 12 months, layoffs among major employers across the U.S. have tempered feelings of job security, and fears of a potential recession are keeping more people in their jobs.

But certain states continue to feel the burden of high turnover. To discover which ones, Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to rank states by their preliminary September 2023 quit rates, using the number of quitters as a tiebreaker when needed. Quit rates are calculated by taking the number of quits during the month as a percentage of the total number of jobs in a state.

Keep reading through the list to see where your state falls—especially if you're planning to leave your current job any time soon.

1 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#51. Massachusetts

- Quit rate: 1.5%
- Number of quits: 57,000

2 / 51
Wangkun Jia // Shutterstock

#50. New York

- Quit rate: 1.5%
- Number of quits: 147,000

3 / 51
Marek Masik // Shutterstock

#49. California

- Quit rate: 1.7%
- Number of quits: 312,000

4 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#48. Connecticut

- Quit rate: 1.8%
- Number of quits: 31,000

5 / 51
f11photo // Shutterstock

#47. Washington D.C.

- Quit rate: 1.9%
- Number of quits: 15,000

6 / 51
Agnieszka Gaul // Shutterstock

#46. Washington

- Quit rate: 2.0%
- Number of quits: 73,000

7 / 51
Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#45. New Jersey

- Quit rate: 2.0%
- Number of quits: 85,000

8 / 51
ESB Professional // Shutterstock

#44. Pennsylvania

- Quit rate: 2.0%
- Number of quits: 123,000

9 / 51
Canva

#43. Hawaii

- Quit rate: 2.1%
- Number of quits: 13,000

10 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#42. Michigan

- Quit rate: 2.1%
- Number of quits: 93,000

11 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#41. Illinois

- Quit rate: 2.1%
- Number of quits: 127,000

12 / 51
George Wirt // Shutterstock

#40. Rhode Island

- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 11,000

13 / 51
Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock

#39. Maine

- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 14,000

14 / 51
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#38. Iowa

- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 35,000

15 / 51
Canva

#37. Ohio

- Quit rate: 2.2%
- Number of quits: 122,000

16 / 51
Albert Pego // Shutterstock

#36. Vermont

- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 7,000

17 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#35. New Hampshire

- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 16,000

18 / 51
Katherine Welles // Shutterstock

#34. Nebraska

- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 24,000

19 / 51
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#33. Kansas

- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 34,000

20 / 51
Canva

#32. Colorado

- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 66,000

21 / 51
Canva

#31. Minnesota

- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 68,000

22 / 51
TommyBrison // Shutterstock

#30. Missouri

- Quit rate: 2.3%
- Number of quits: 69,000

23 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#29. Oregon

- Quit rate: 2.4%
- Number of quits: 48,000

24 / 51
Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#28. Wisconsin

- Quit rate: 2.4%
- Number of quits: 72,000

25 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#27. Virginia

- Quit rate: 2.4%
- Number of quits: 100,000

26 / 51
Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#26. Alabama

- Quit rate: 2.5%
- Number of quits: 55,000

27 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#25. Indiana

- Quit rate: 2.5%
- Number of quits: 83,000

28 / 51
JohnDSmith // Shutterstock

#24. South Dakota

- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 12,000

29 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#23. New Mexico

- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 23,000

30 / 51
randy andy // Shutterstock

#22. Nevada

- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 40,000

31 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#21. Maryland

- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 72,000

32 / 51
Sharkshock // Shutterstock

#20. North Carolina

- Quit rate: 2.6%
- Number of quits: 130,000

33 / 51
Jacob Boomsma // Shutterstock

#19. North Dakota

- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 12,000

34 / 51
Canva

#18. Arkansas

- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 37,000

35 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#17. Utah

- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 46,000

36 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#16. Oklahoma

- Quit rate: 2.7%
- Number of quits: 47,000

37 / 51
Canva

#15. Georgia

- Quit rate: 2.8%
- Number of quits: 138,000

38 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#14. Texas

- Quit rate: 2.8%
- Number of quits: 396,000

39 / 51
Canva

#13. Mississippi

- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 34,000

40 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#12. Arizona

- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 92,000

41 / 51
Kevin Ruck // Shutterstock

#11. Tennessee

- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 97,000

42 / 51
Mia2you // Shutterstock

#10. Florida

- Quit rate: 2.9%
- Number of quits: 281,000

43 / 51
Rotorhead 30A Productions // Shutterstock

#9. Kentucky

- Quit rate: 3.0%
- Number of quits: 61,000

44 / 51
Charles Knowles // Shutterstock

#8. Idaho

- Quit rate: 3.1%
- Number of quits: 27,000

45 / 51
f11photo // Shutterstock

#7. South Carolina

- Quit rate: 3.2%
- Number of quits: 74,000

46 / 51
Real Window Creative // Shutterstock

#6. Delaware

- Quit rate: 3.3%
- Number of quits: 16,000

47 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#5. West Virginia

- Quit rate: 3.3%
- Number of quits: 23,000

48 / 51
Sean Pavone // Shutterstock

#4. Louisiana

- Quit rate: 3.3%
- Number of quits: 66,000

49 / 51
LBill45 // Shutterstock

#3. Wyoming

- Quit rate: 3.4%
- Number of quits: 10,000

50 / 51
Canva

#2. Alaska

- Quit rate: 3.4%
- Number of quits: 11,000

51 / 51
Mihai_Andritoiu // Shutterstock

#1. Montana

- Quit rate: 3.5%
- Number of quits: 18,000

Data reporting by Paxtyn Merten.

Trending Now